Commonwealth Club of California Podcast

The Girls, the forthcoming, highly anticipated debut novel by Emma Cline, tells the story of Evie, a young woman who gets drawn into the mysterious world of a gang of girls and quickly finds herself immersed in their world and in over her head. Emma’s writing has been praised by everyone from Lena Dunham to Mark Haddon for her deeply insightful observations about girls and the women they become. Emma rose to prominence when she signed a three book deal in 2014, at the age of 25. Join INFORUM at The Commonwealth Club of California for a riveting evening with Emma.

William Kristol has been called “the godfather of neoconservativism.” Most recently, he has been outspoken in his concern over a Donald Trump presidency, having said, “Donald Trump winning the Republican nomination makes Hillary Clinton president for the next four years, probably.” He has also written, “Donald Trump has brought to light the rot of an ideological movement that many of us had thought was alive and reasonably well. He has revealed, to some degree, the degradation of a public for whom many of us had higher hopes and expectations.” Kristol is the editor of The Weekly Standard, a regular on ABC’s "This Week" and on ABC’s special events and election coverage, and appears frequently on other leading political commentary shows. Before starting The Weekly Standard in 1995, he led the Project for the Republican Future, where he helped shape the strategy that produced the 1994 Republican congressional victory. Prior to that, Kristol served as chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle during the first Bush Administration and to Education Secretary William Bennett under President Reagan. Before coming to Washington in 1985, Mr. Kristol was on the faculty of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. Here’s chance to hear from one of the major voices of the Republican establishment on where the party and the country are headed.

Sequoia Sake, which produces the first artisan sake (pronounced sa-KEH) in San Francisco, is leading the next revolution in beverages. Sequoia blends the traditional art of making sake learned from Japan, where it has been brewed for more than 2,000 years, with the enterprising spirit and unique qualities of San Francisco. Sequoia produces small batches of hand-crafted, premium sake with full rich flavors. It is part of the new American “micro-sake” revolution. Myrick will help us understand how sake is made and how to enjoy its complex flavors and varieties. Come hear and taste!

Come celebrate San Francisco Pride Month with INFORUM! Join INFORUM and SF Pride for a celebration of San Francisco's LGBTQI history and a powerful discussion about the work still needing to be done to ensure equal rights and racial and economic justice (this year's SF Pride theme!) for all, focused on the Black Lives Matter movement. Advocates and spokespeople will discuss their experiences convening diverse allies and communities, and will share their unique insights into the successes they’ve achieved and the challenges they still face in ensuring justice for all.

Countries and corporations united in Paris to forge a global climate deal to reduce carbon pollution while continuing to expand the economy. Now comes the hard part. California is pushing ahead with green policies and technologies that are creating jobs and markets. But in today’s highly stratified society, many people don’t have access to the benefits of cleaner jobs and products. How can average people engage with the clean economy? Is climate about more than pretty faraway places and exotic species? Can the United States transition to clean energy by using existing technology or does it need some big breakthroughs to break the death grip of fossil fuels? This will be a broad-ranging discussion with a veteran of the George W. Bush administration now working for Laurene Powell Jobs and a business leader focused on making climate a ballot-box issue. They will share their vision for transforming the world by driving innovation and unleashing the power of clean energy.

Dr. Catherine Williamson, who frequently appears as an appraiser for PBS' "Antiques Roadshow," is vice president and director of fine books and manuscripts/entertainment memorabilia at Bonhams in Los Angeles. She will talk about the challenges and issues facing appraisers and collectors today, and share stories of some great discoveries on the "Roadshow"—and elsewhere.

At this summit, MTI will present the results of year seven of a national public opinion poll asking more than 1,500 Americans if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, including a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. The event will begin with a keynote address by California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly, followed by a presentation of survey results by Dr. Asha Agrawal, director of the Mineta Transportation Institute's National Transportation Finance. A panel of experts will then discuss their viewpoints.

At this summit, MTI will present the results of year seven of a national public opinion poll asking more than 1,500 Americans if they would support various tax options for raising federal transportation revenues, including a special focus on understanding support for increasing revenues for public transit. The event will begin with a keynote address by California State Transportation Agency Secretary Brian Kelly, followed by a presentation of survey results by Dr. Asha Agrawal, director of the Mineta Transportation Institute's National Transportation Finance. A panel of experts will then discuss their viewpoints.

Stanford neurosurgery resident Paul Kalanithi was 36 years old when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. A gifted writer, he spent the last two years of his life giving birth to both a baby and a book. When Breath Becomes Air describes his experience as a doctor facing a terminal illness. The book became an instant hit, reaching number one on The New York Times best-seller list. Paul Kalanithi’s widow, Dr. Lucy Kalanithi, shepherded the book through publication and wrote a moving epilogue. She will be interviewed by Mark Zitter as part of the Commonwealth Club’s ongoing series on end-of-life issues. The session will include readings from the book. An internist on faculty at the Stanford School of Medicine, Dr. Kalanithi completed her medical degree at Yale, where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha national medical honor society. She did her residency at the University of California San Francisco and postdoctoral fellowship training in health-care delivery innovation at Stanford’s Clinical Excellence Research Center. At the cross-section of her career as a medical professional and her personal experience standing alongside her husband during his life, diagnosis, treatment and death, Dr. Kalanithi has special interests in health-care value, meaning in medicine, patient-centered care and end-of-life care. She has appeared on "PBS NewsHour," "NPR Morning Edition," and "Yahoo News with Katie Couric," and has been interviewed by People and The New York Times. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her daughter, Elizabeth Acadia.

We'll explore the biggest, most controversial, and sometimes the surprising political issues with expert commentary by panelists who are smart, are civil, and have a good sense of humor. Join our panelists for informative and engaging commentary on political and other major news, audience discussion of the week’s events, and our live news quiz!